New Apple TV Rumored with App Store Access

The Apple TV is already a powerful streaming multimedia device with a large selection of content, but it may get even more powerful. While you can already throw some apps up on the big screen using AirPlay from a Mac, iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, the Apple TV may soon get a refresh with its own access to an app store.

9to5Mac said Thursday that Apple is “making progress on its development of a successor to the current Apple TV” and that the product is already being widely tested. It may still be a little while before the new Apple TV hits the market, though. 9to5Mac said it hears that it will launch during the first half of this year, which is anytime in the next five months (plus a few days).

The Apple TV will also reportedly gain access to its own app store, which may include games as well, though it’s still not apparent if motion controls for those apps and games will launch on the new set-top box. A motion controller certainly make sense, but there’s already a lot of control already available through iOS devices. Apple did buy PrimeSense back in November, however, so some kind of gesture implementation is likely in the works for a future product. In either case, 9to5Mac said that Apple is “streamlining the development process of Apple TV apps,” which means it should be easier than ever for content creators to push new content to the Apple TV.

So far there’s no news on an actual, physical Apple television set, otherwise known as the iTV, which has also been rumored for quite some time. It does sound like the Apple TV box itself is becoming less of a hobby for Tim Cook and his team, however.